Local legends abound surrounding the history of Cheesman Park as an unkept and crumbling cemetery that was later transformed into the recreational area it is today. Before its green fields were dotted with volleyball nets and slacklines, this park was City Cemetery, Denver’s first large cemetery, established in 1859. Originally intended to be a scenic Victorian cemetery like those seen in Boston, New York and parts of Europe, this vision was never realized. Pressure to use the area in a way that would better appease its burgeoning affluent neighbors in Capitol Hill ultimately led to its transformation into a park. </p> Easier said than done. Thousands of occupants already resided underground in City Cemetery. Undertaker E. P. McGovern was contracted to relocate remains to Riverside Cemetery several miles away in early 1893. Paid by the coffin, McGovern soon saw a way to exploit the wording of his contract and unearthed remains were split between multiple child-sized coffins which were then hauled across town. The city discovered what was going on, halted McGovern’s work entirely and required that all remains either be relocated at their survivors’ expense within 90 days or remain onsite. </p> Imperfect maps identifying locations of remains, fear of diseases that could be spread by unearthing remains, and the inability of individuals to pay relocation costs for loved ones prevented work from being completed in time for the park’s opening.</p> It is estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 human remains still reside under Cheesman Park. </p> Adjacent to City Cemetery was Mount Calvary Cemetery—where Denver Botanic Gardens now exists. Owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, this cemetery was better maintained than neighboring City Cemetery but fell into disuse after Mount Olivet Cemetery was established in Wheat Ridge and became the only consecrated Catholic cemetery in the area. The abandoned Mount Calvary was used primarily as a playground for adventurous children until it was finally deeded to the City of Denver in 1950. </p> The relocation of remains from Mount Calvary to Mount Olivet was more organized and expedient than the transition from City Cemetery to Cheesman Park had been, but not without issues. Occasionally remains would be missing from where they were marked on the cemetery’s records, while others would be found during construction and maintenance where no burial had been recorded. </p> Denver Botanic Gardens was first partially and then completely relocated from its original home in City Park to the former site of Mount Calvary in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory being formally dedicated in January of 1966. </p> Although considered by some to be less haunted than our larger neighbor, the Gardens still has its share of ghost stories and reported hauntings. </p> To learn more about the hauntings and history of Denver Botanic Gardens and Cheesman Park, browse these books at Helen Fowler Library: </p> The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill by Phil Goodstein </a>Written by local historian and walking tour guide Phil Goodstein, this volume covers much of the history of Capitol Hill and Cheesman Park neighborhoods, including the haunted history of the park and its surroundings. </li> Cemetery to Conservatory by Louisa Ward Arps </a>A publication of Denver Botanic Gardens, this work covers the transition from the cemetery to its current use in detail, spanning the period from 1859 to 1980. </li> The Dead Below by Richard Estep </a>Follow Colorado author Richard Estep and his ghost hunting crew as they explore Waring House at Denver Botanic Gardens in search of evidence of the supernatural. </li> </ul> This post was contributed by On Call Librarian Sean Grimes</strong>. </em></p>
This past December I had a unique opportunity to travel to Puerto Guadal, Chile, and visit two farms in the area. The first farm I visited was called Huerto Cuatro Estaciones, a farm growing mixed vegetables, herbs and flowers using biointensive, low-tillage methods on a scale similar to Chatfield Farms. I attended a five-day course covering tools, techniques and team and workflow organization methods used at this farm. I also visited Raices Floridas, another farm nearby growing a variety of medicinal plants, herbs and flowers using hoop houses and no-till beds to create value-added products. </p> Farmers in this region experience similar geographic challenges to Front Range farmers such as high winds, unpredictable and extreme weather, pests and disease. They also share a similar history of agricultural practices and land management programs that have degraded soils and ecosystems. Their solutions to these challenges reflect current movements in small-scale agriculture towards more regenerative systems.</p> Both farms focus on and teach about encouraging and protecting biodiversity as a key part of maintaining a healthy agricultural system. They also focus on sustainability by minimizing external inputs by necessity as they are in rural areas, several hours of rugged driving from any city. I was inspired by their focus on good land stewardship, their dedication to the improvement of soil health through closed-loop composting systems and no-till practices, their focus on supporting pollinator and beneficial insect populations, their innovative wind and weather protection structures and commitment to community building.</p> Our goal is to demonstrate many of these same practices at Chatfield Farms, and to continue to be a great educational resource for our guests, local producers, and members of our community supported agriculture program. Through this opportunity I was able to make new connections and widen our net of information sharing helping keep Denver Botanic Gardens and our members apprised of current agricultural movements, tools and techniques used all over the world.</p>
Falling on Saturday, April 22 this year, Earth Day</a>’s theme has been announced as “Invest in our Planet.” A celebration of environmental action and protection, Earth Day serves as a call to all citizens to do their part for the planet. To invest in the planet is to invest in a healthy and sustainable future for generations to come. Earth Day is an opportunity to cherish the time spent in nature, and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms</a> is the perfect immersive setting. </p> Nestled in the foothills south of Denver, Chatfield Farms serves as a working farm, an oasis of ornamental gardens and a refuge for multiple species of wildlife and pollinators. When visitors arrive, they may first notice the wide-open, wild spaces of the Platte River Valley, followed by acres of sustainable agriculture and ornamental horticulture over gentle grades in the shadow of the Dakota Lyons hogback. There are also walking trails, riparian areas and wildlife habitat. Throughout the gardens, plants will be awakening from their winter slumber, and spring bulbs and flowering shrubs and trees will be making their presence known with fragrant blooms. </p> This year, Chatfield Farms is hosting several Earth Day-related educational opportunities and demonstrations for all ages on April 22 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.:</strong></p> Sustainable agricultural demonstrations such as planting, composting and vermiculture will be taught by skilled farmers.</li> Irrigation audits and water quality demonstrations will cover the topic of water scarcity and conservation of resources.</li> Educational staff will be stationed across the property to teach the young and young at heart about the wonders of the planet and Chatfield Farms’ ecosystems.</li> Barrel train rides will be available for those who want to take a spin around the property.</li> </ul> April 22 is an SCFD Free Day, so admission to Chatfield Farms is free all day! Earth Day activities take place 10 a.m. – 2p.m. and are also free. Snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase. The site has numerous shaded picnic tables and sunny picnicking areas for those who choose to bring their own food. Advanced registration is required. Get tickets.</a></strong></p> Celebrate Earth Day outdoors this year with likeminded peers, learn how to invest in our planet and behold the sights and sounds of nature at Chatfield Farms. </p> Chatfield Farms is located at 8500 W Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton, just off of C-470 & Wadsworth Blvd. </p>
Gardens are especially exciting in the early spring. While much of the landscape remains dormant, bulbs erupt in vibrant displays of life that fill us with anticipation of the transition of seasons. Spring in Colorado is erratic, often filled with wintry weather and deceivingly warm days. Months before it is safe to plant tender annual flowers, there are bulbs that flourish in the chaos of our spring. </p> Rock gardens provide a perfect sanctuary for these determined little flowers, and there are bulbs that thrive in every habitat, from dry and exposed gritty spaces to shaded woodland environments. </p> Lenten rose, snowdrops, dwarf iris, cyclamen and crocus all begin to bloom late in winter. These are followed in the early spring by daffodils, hyacinths, anemones and pasqueflowers. Eventually we see ornamental onions, grape hyacinths and tulips. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it does include a few of my favorite varieties blooming this time of the year:</p> Helleborus angustifolius</em>. The dark, evergreen leaves are a foundation plant in the rock garden. Its pale green flowers bloom throughout the late winter and cool spring. It reseeds sporadically throughout the garden, which is a welcome gift for an ever-changing garden. Typically, 1 to 1.5 feet tall and wide, it is large for a rock garden plant, but smaller than most woody foundation plants, and offers a different color and texture than other evergreens in the rock garden. It performs best in shade to part-shade areas that hold a bit more moisture. </li> Iris reticulata</em>. Most of the dwarf cultivars come from the reticulate species of Iris</em>, but there are many similarly early flowering and dwarfed species. These bulbs perform exceptionally in well-drained, sunny locations. They’ll bloom for several weeks in February or March depending on the weather. Beloved by bees, these flowers also hold up in snowstorms. </li> Tulipa humulis</em>. The best tulips for rock gardens are called species tulips. Tulipa humulis</em> is just one of many ‘species tulips’ that are perfect in a rock garden. They are later blooming, in April and May, when the threat of snow and frost still looms. </li> </ul> Bulbs inspire the feeling that spring has come, offering a new and fresh start. Hold on to that inspirational feeling; the bulbs you see in the early spring are best planted in fall. Not much else in gardening is as satisfying as experiencing the bulbs you planted last year emerge and signal the transition of seasons. </p> </p> This article was contributed by Erik Howshar</strong></em>, </strong>horticulturist at Chatfield Farms.</em> </p>
When designing your own garden, the practical considerations are the most important decisions. The creative aspects of your design are more nuanced and may be where you need the most help. Here are some design principles to keep in mind. You certainly do not need to use all these concepts, but they’ll give you some food for thought.</p> Primary Design Principles </h4> Style, atmosphere, surroundings</strong>: What style/feeling are you aiming for? A low-stimulus and relaxing retreat, an inspiring entertaining area or a diverse habitat for pollinators? Are you in the city or the mountains? What style harmonizes with your surroundings?</p> Lines: </strong>Do you want straight lines or curves for your garden beds? A combination? If you are going to do curves, make sure they are strong, purposeful curves, not arbitrary wiggly edges. Sight lines are important in a garden—you don’t want your eye drawn straight to a utility box!</p>
Growing up in Vermont, I was immersed in a culture of environmentalism before I understood what that even meant. At age 5, I was part of a “kids against pollution” club where a group of friends and I got together on Sunday afternoons and sauntered around local parks recording strangers talking about their perspectives on the climate crisis. We were accompanied by an ambitious mom who perhaps thought folks might be more responsive to such controversial topics when approached by a group of disarming 4 to 7-year-olds. While at the time I assumed I was simply playing with friends and meeting new adults, I understand now that we were stimulating important conversations about an exponentially urgent issue. </p> Reading the news about wildfires burning the Earth’s lungs (i.e., forests), hurricanes sinking our largest cities, floods and droughts leaving our fields fallow, plastic islands and warming temperatures damaging the once flourishing ocean life can leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed. But action can be a cure for discouragement. I view this crisis as a more manageable problem when I remember that it is caused by humans, and therefore, I can make a positive impact by taking specific daily actions to help the environment</a>. </p> Finding community can also help alleviate some of this eco-anxiety. Together we are stronger. Together we can commit to making the changes needed to preserve our communities and the flora and fauna we know and love. Start by finding something that inspires you. You can walk through the Gardens, noticing a plethora of pollinators on each flower, or the spring crocuses bursting through the hard ground from winter – there are countless wonders just outside, and the first step is noticing and appreciating them.</p> Today, I am honored to work with an organization committed to making necessary changes for the health of the planet and its inhabitants. From regenerative agriculture</a> practices at Chatfield Farms to sustainable water management</a> to installing a solar farm for renewable energy</a>, Denver Botanic Gardens demonstrates that organizational change is possible. At Chatfield Farms, low-till methods are used in the chemical-free vegetable garden, allowing healthy organisms in the soil to thrive while preserving nutrients. The Gardens then distributes this sustainably grown produce at pay-what-you-can farmers markets</a>. These initiatives demonstrate what can be accomplished when organizations work together. </p> This article was written by Facility Custodial Technician Jo Kennedy.</strong></em></p>
